Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
OTTAWA - Ed Belfour has returned home-ice advantage to Toronto.
Belfour made 35 saves in his second straight shutout, leading the Maple Leafs to a 2-0 victory Monday night over the Senators.
"Fortunately I had a good view of most of the shots in the first and I just kept working hard, and it worked out," Belfour said.
Joe Nieuwendyk scored his second goal of the playoffs early in the second period, and Mats Sundin added a goal on a two-on-one rush in the third for Toronto, which has a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series. Game 4 is Wednesday at Ottawa.
Belfour has held the Senators scoreless for 138:21. He made 31 saves for his first Toronto playoff shutout in Saturday's 2-0 win, giving the Leafs a split of the first two home games of the series.
Belfour, who turns 39 April 21, got his 84th career playoff win to keep pace with New Jersey's Martin Brodeur for the lead among active goalies.
It was his 13th playoff shutout, moving him past Dominik Hasek into second place among active goalies behind Brodeur.
STARS 4, AVALANCHE 3 (OT): Steve Ott turned a steal at center ice into a breakaway goal 2:11 into overtime, getting Dallas back into the series.
Thoroughly outplayed through two games and two periods, the Stars began their recovery when Philippe Boucher sent a long, wide shot past Colorado goaltender David Aebischer with 4:27 left in regulation.
The winning play began when Ott blocked a neutral-zone pass from Avalanche defenseman Adam Foote. The second-year center then took off with the puck as soon as he saw it heading toward the Colorado zone.
Foote couldn't catch up to Ott. Neither could Karlis Skrastins, who dived just as Ott sent the puck through a narrow gap between Aebischer and the post.
Boosted by a return to home ice, where they've lost only one of their past 20, the Stars closed the series to 2-1. Game 4 is Wednesday in Dallas.
Ott's winning goal was his first in four playoff games. He had only two in 73 regular-season games, none since Feb. 4.
Aebischer, who made 28 saves, lost for the first time in his playoff career.
BLUES 4, SHARKS 1: Host St. Louis kept its cool and finally got to Evgeni Nabokov, working its way back into the series.
Late-season pickup Mike Sillinger scored his first playoff hat trick and Dallas Drake scored on a deflection and added an assist.
The Sharks lead the series 2-1, heading into Game 4 tonight in St. Louis.
Sillinger, acquired March 4 from the Coyotes and playing for his 10th team to tie an NHL record, seemed to be a low-key pickup at the time. But he provided an immediate boost for a team that qualified for the playoffs on the 81st game, getting four goals and five assists in 16 games.
He gave the Blues, who have rallied to win a series after trailing 2-0 only once in 13 tries, yet another boost in Game 3.
CANUCKS: Goaltender Dan Cloutier returned to Vancouver to have his apparent knee injury evaluated. General manager Brian Burke made the announcement a day after Cloutier left the team's 2-1 win over Calgary in Game 3 of a first-round playoff series. Coach Marc Crawford said that Johan Hedberg will start tonight in Game 4 against Calgary.